Sharada Bhujanga Prayata Ashtakam
Sharada Bhujanga Prayata Ashtakam
शारदा भुजङ्ग प्रयात अष्टकं
सुवक्षोजकुम्भां सुधापूर्णकुम्भां
प्रसादावलम्बां प्रपुण्यावलम्बाम् ।
सदास्येन्दुबिम्बां सदानोष्ठबिम्बां
भजे शारदाम्बामजस्रं मदम्बाम् ॥ 1 ॥
कटाक्षे दयार्द्रां करे ज्ञानमुद्रां
कलाभिर्विनिद्रां कलापैः सुभद्राम् ।
पुरस्त्रीं विनिद्रां पुरस्तुङ्गभद्रां
भजे शारदाम्बामजस्रं मदम्बाम् ॥ 2 ॥
ललामाङ्कफालां लसद्गानलोलां
स्वभक्तैकपालां यशःश्रीकपोलाम् ।
करे त्वक्षमालां कनत्पत्रलोलां
भजे शारदाम्बामजस्रं मदम्बाम् ॥ 3 ॥
सुसीमन्तवेणीं दृशा निर्जितैणीं
रमत्कीरवाणीं नमद्वज्रपाणीम् ।
सुधामन्थरास्यां मुदा चिन्त्यवेणीं
भजे शारदाम्बामजस्रं मदम्बाम् ॥ 4 ॥
सुशान्तां सुदेहां दृगन्ते कचान्तां
लसत्सल्लताङ्गीमनन्तामचिन्त्याम् ।
स्मरेत्तापसैः सर्गपूर्वस्थितां तां
भजे शारदाम्बामजस्रं मदम्बाम् ॥ 5 ॥
कुरङ्गे तुरङ्गे मृगेन्द्रे खगेन्द्रे
मराले मदेभे महोक्षेऽधिरूढाम् ।
महत्यां नवम्यां सदा सामरूपां
भजे शारदाम्बामजस्रं मदम्बाम् ॥ 6 ॥
ज्वलत्कान्तिवह्निं जगन्मोहनाङ्गीं
भजे मानसाम्भोज सुभ्रान्तभृङ्गीम् ।
निजस्तोत्रसङ्गीतनृत्यप्रभाङ्गीं
भजे शारदाम्बामजस्रं मदम्बाम् ॥ 7 ॥
भवाम्भोजनेत्राजसम्पूज्यमानां
लसन्मन्दहासप्रभावक्त्रचिह्नाम् ।
चलच्चञ्चलाचारुताटङ्ककर्णां
भजे शारदाम्बामजस्रं मदम्बाम् ॥ 8 ॥
॥ इति श्रीमच्छङ्कराचार्यविरचिता श्री शारदा भुजङ्ग प्रयाताष्टकम् ॥
About This Stotram
Overview
The Sharada Bhujanga Prayata Ashtakam is an eight-verse Sanskrit hymn dedicated to Goddess Sharada, a regional name for Saraswati as the deity of knowledge, music, and learning. It is composed in the Bhujanga Prayata meter — a flowing serpentine meter in Sanskrit prosody — and belongs to the devotional stotram tradition honoring Saraswati within the Shakta tradition.
What are the benefits of chanting Sharada Bhujanga Prayata Ashtakam?
- Enhancement of knowledge, learning, and intellectual acuity
- Improvement in eloquence and clarity of expression
- Removal of ignorance and mental obstacles to study
- Cultivation of devotion to the Goddess of wisdom and arts
When is the best time to recite this?
This ashtakam is particularly appropriate on Vasant Panchami (Saraswati Puja), during Navaratri on the days dedicated to Saraswati, and at the start of a period of formal study. Morning recitation is standard for stotrams in this tradition.
What is the historical and traditional background?
The authorship of the Sharada Bhujanga Prayata Ashtakam is not known, though use of the Bhujanga Prayata meter places it within a tradition of learned Sanskrit composition employed by scholars and poet-devotees across the medieval period. Sharada worship has deep roots in the Kashmir Shaiva tradition, where the deity is identified with the power of divine speech (Vak), and also in the Maihar region of Madhya Pradesh. The eight-verse ashtakam format is a common and compact mode for Sanskrit devotional composition.
Available scripts
This text is available in 14 scripts: devanagari, tamil, telugu, kannada, malayalam, gujarati, bengali, iast, gurmukhi, oriya, assamese, sinhala, itrans, hk. Use the script selector above to switch between them.
Related Texts
- Sharda Chalisa — a Hindi Chalisa dedicated to the same goddess, particularly associated with the Maihar temple in Madhya Pradesh
- Saraswati Ashtakam — another eight-verse hymn to Saraswati, sharing the same deity and devotional purpose